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Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

For the sake of posters like hoosierguy and others that will be in need of a pacemaker by the end of the season, you have to wonder if they are able to "toy with the mouse" throughout the entire game ( instead of just the 2nd half ) so that they can build enough of a lead in the 4th QTR to rest the Starters towards the end of games.

We have enough talent to pull this off against less talented Teams like the Celtics and Pelicans....but playing like this against Playoff bound Teams won't get us wins all the time.

The concept is that 'toying with the mouse' is when you let the other team stick around or even take the lead. You're done toying with the mouse when you take over the game later on. That's when you sink your teeth into the mouse. So what you want is for us to just sink in our teeth early on and be done with it.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

I admit I get too caught up in the moment but settle down after a little while. No one is perfect.

Sorry, I was only pointing you out in that post ( as an example ) cuz I think that if the Team is capable of winning the race while driving 75 mph throughout the entire race as opposed to 50 mpg in the 1st half of the race and then gunning it at 100 mph in the 2nd half of the race.

I ( like you ) don't like that they sucked it up in the 1st half...but realize that they have a 2nd gear to fall back on when it comes to a clearly less talented and experienced Team ( hence why I didn't complain ).

In the end....IMHO, the Pacers won only because they were more talented and had more experience.

Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

This is David West, he is the Honey Badger, West just doesn't give a *****....he's pretty bad *ss cuz he has no regard for any other Player or Team whatsoever.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

The concept is that 'toying with the mouse' is when you let the other team stick around or even take the lead. You're done toying with the mouse when you take over the game later on. That's when you sink your teeth into the mouse. So what you want is for us to just sink in our teeth early on and be done with it.

I'm okay with that

I'm not sure why the Pacers play so much better after the 2nd half than the 1st half.

Side Note - Remember in the JO'B days when the Pacers used to play really well in the 1st half and then come out as flat in the 3rd QTR? Oyy...I remember those days

I don't know if it's intentional or not ( probably not ), but the Pacers don't have the luxury to "toy with the mouse" against every Team. Every win counts and a few losses here and there because we weren't able to "seal the deal" against a Team because the Team wasn't playing up to their regular intensity level in the 1st half?

I agree that the Pacers are now the "cat" that can toy with less talented "mice"...which is refreshing....but my concern is that this mentality of playing lights out defense won't work all the time against better coached and more talented Teams that are way better than the Celtics and Pelicans.

Maybe another analogy is at hand....rather than being the "cat that bites down on the mouse"...how about the python that slowly strangles the life out of it's pray for 3.5 QTRs and then letting the pray die a slow asphyxiated death for the rest of the 4th QTR?

Maybe I'm taking this analogy too far or off course?

Last edited by CableKC; 11-22-2013 at 10:31 PM.

Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

This is David West, he is the Honey Badger, West just doesn't give a *****....he's pretty bad *ss cuz he has no regard for any other Player or Team whatsoever.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

When the Pacers brought the hammer down, they brought it HARD. Boston was totally unable to run their offense. I agree with those who say that it would be cool if we did it sooner, but part of our style of play seems to be to grind, grind, grind, and then find the "opportune moment" and then go crazy.

If Lance can keep rebounding, then he'll get triple doubles all season long. Every pass to Scola at 18' out is an automatic assist, and he's doing that 5 times a game.

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Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

I can understand why the Heat coast for awhile and then go into KILL mode when needed but the Pacers don't have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade so they can ill afford to play like this.

Honestly, I feel like they can. For one thing, Paul George is now on the same or similar level to one or both of those two, and for another our defense and size superiority also gives us room for it. But I do agree that it's always dangerous.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

I get that we are generally getting these teams best punches and alot of these teams are trying to knock us out before half time, but I just feel like we got to bring the pain from the beginning. Our guys definitely think we are a better 3point shooting team than we really are.

Maybe its nit-picking, but 3 game in a row now we have some seriously slow starts. One was a blowout, the next one we reeled them back in but had to scrap the entire game to force the overtime, this game resembled many of the previous 9 wins.

to win games in the end.

My preference is to be out of the proverbial "hole" by halfway through the 4th QTR of the game...instead of being shoulder-deep in a hole before the 2nd half while being forced to climb out of it by the end of the game just to get a win.

Man...I'm full of analogies today.

Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

This is David West, he is the Honey Badger, West just doesn't give a *****....he's pretty bad *ss cuz he has no regard for any other Player or Team whatsoever.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

Yeah, damn this is fun.

At one point, we'd held the Celtics to 20 points in about 21 minutes in the second half after giving up 50 in the first. I think they have the ability to play cat against a lot of teams, especially the Celtics. And they should be able to do it tomorrow night against the 76ers.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

I'm not sure why the Pacers play so much better after the 2nd half than the 1st half.

I think this has to do with a lot of things.....first the bench when as an entire unit is still learning to play with each other and it is resulting in us having the worst 2nd quarter team in the league (statistically not an opinion). I think this will come around later in the year because this year it isn't because we just have bad players playing in the 2nd quarter it is that they and even Frank are playing and tinkering with lineups and chemistry to find which strings work. In the 2nd half this becomes less of an issue because the bench in our rotation does not play that much in the 2nd half the 2nd half is mostly the starters 2 quarters.

I think the coaching staff has some to do with this as we really seem to refocus our team and make great adjustments. The intensity definitely picks up defensively in the 2nd half as well and for those saying well just bring that intensity the entire game you have to realize that just may not be realistic to play that intense of D 48 minutes a night 82 games a year. So as long as they play with max intensity every 2nd half I am ok with a little bit of coasting in the first half.

And lastly I compare our style of play to a great power running back where in the first half they may not being getting great results only 2 or 3 yards per carry but they wear on the opponent and come the 2nd half they start gashing the defense. Or you can use the boxing analogy that our team just throws a ton of body blows and come 2nd half the opponent just doesn't have as much fight left in them.

But ultimately I think the first half woes will get ironed out once the 2nd quarter lineup gets solid chemistry and learn to play well as a unit.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

No, I just defer to the 4X MVP and 2X defending NBA champion until he is knocked off his throne.

Well you are not Lebron so in reality does your opinion matter at all? I defer to him...stop your hero worship crap, we play defense rebound and have 5 guys on the floor who can score. As the SEALs say, "A TWIG WILLBREAK BUT A BUNDLE OF TWIGS IS STRONG"

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

Is it just me, or does Luis Scola make EVERY midrange jumper he takes? I swear I don't remember seeing the last time he missed!

Not EVERY MidRange jumpshot he takes. He ( like DW ) hits that shot at that same spot ( to the right of the FT line ) but doesn't always hit it if he is the same distance from the basket but not in the same spot ( let's say to the left of the key ).

At that very spot though ( which is where he usually stands and waits for the ball and takes the majority of his shots from).....he's money. Every time I see him take a shot there....I think to myself....that a "moneyball" shot right there.

Last edited by CableKC; 11-22-2013 at 11:11 PM.

Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

This is David West, he is the Honey Badger, West just doesn't give a *****....he's pretty bad *ss cuz he has no regard for any other Player or Team whatsoever.

Re: Pacers/Celtics Postgame Thread 11/22/13

Have you taken a look around the East? We are one of four teams above .500. Unless there is a surprise mid-season conference re-allignment, we should probably get used to playing bad teams more nights than not.